Every year the number of residents of megacities and large cities is growing, who are starting to think about purchasing and arranging their own suburban housing. Some decide to buy a house in the village, others build their own buildings, while others order log houses and frame houses from construction companies, which also carry out the final installation on the prepared site.
There are many ways to implement this idea. The reasons for the “movement” from cities are different: it may be the desire to provide their relatives with ecologically clean food; get away from the hustle and bustle of the city; to have your own house, not an apartment in an incomprehensible concrete building. However, having embarked on this path, a person is forced to solve issues that residents of apartments have not even heard of. For example, what is a
pumping station. The principle of its operation will have to be understood.
Foundation of life
Everyone knows that it is impossible to survive without water. It is not surprising that, equipping a country house, the owner first of all thinks about the source. The easiest way to get to the site and in the premises is a pipe line from a nearby central water supply. However, not everyone has such an opportunity. Very often, the only available source is a well or a well on a site.
But if in the summer, squinting from the morning sun, you can gladly walk barefoot through the dew and bring some buckets into the house with your hands, then in autumn and winter this prospect is unlikely to please anyone. Fortunately, what seemed incredible just a dozen years ago is now available to everyone. These
are water
pumping stations . The principle of their work allows you to organize a local water supply system in a single private economy.
Step towards autonomy
To provide the house with water, a domestic pumping station is intended . Its principle of operation is based on a balance of two pressures - water and air, which we will discuss in more detail later. In order for this device to work, several conditions must be met:
- The presence of a well, well or other source on a site. In this case, the distance from it to the installation site of the station should be minimal, otherwise you have to complicate the wiring diagram using intermediate tanks. In other words, the closer the source to the house, the better.
In this case, we mean a classic household pumping station, the principle of operation of which does not allow creating pressure at large distances. Usually a route length of up to 20 m is permissible. If this condition is not met, then a
booster pump station is needed
. Its principle of operation is to increase the pressure to acceptable values. In fact, this is an additional intermediate link - the repeater.
- The availability of electricity needed to power the electric motor pumping the pump water. Autonomous current sources, if they are used, must be of sufficient power. So, the simplest vibration pump will require at least 300 watts for its operation, and the electric power of centrifugal models is estimated in thousands of watts.
- Correctly completed installation of the water supply system. The less track turns and diameter transitions, the better. Also, when laying the pipe, it is necessary to take into account the depth of soil freezing in this region.
A close solution to distant problems
We already mentioned that if the distance between the end user and the water source is large, then a booster pump station is needed.
The principle of its operation allows us to overcome the limitations of classical systems, significantly expanding their capabilities. It turns on almost simultaneously with the main pump, increasing the pressure of the water passing through the pipes to the required value. Alternatively, an intermediate tank with a float switch can be used. There are many options for solving the problem of supplying water to a house from a remote source, each of which has only its inherent features. However, their description is beyond the scope of this paper.
How to supply water to the house?
To organize an autonomous water supply system for a country house in the absence of a centralized line, a domestic pumping station is intended. The principle of its operation can be represented schematically as:
- an electric pump pumps water from a source into a special tank;
- when filling the latter to a certain volume, there is an increase in water pressure in the tank and, as a result, the RD5 control mechanical relay is triggered by the upper limit, which turns off the pump motor;
- by opening a tap or any other draw-off point, the owner gets the opportunity to use water in the same way as in the city - with the desired pressure in the system (even washing machines and dishwashers work, water comes from the tank at this time);
- with a decrease in the amount of water, the pressure in the system drops, which registers RD5, and when the owner sets the lower value, the pump starts up again. The cycle repeats.
All this is realized by a home pumping station. The principle of its operation, as you can see, is incredibly simple. Subject to the rules of installation and operation, the service life of this system can reach 10 years.
Layout
So, the pumping station. We examined the principle of its operation earlier in a schematic version. Now let's turn to the details.
Any such system necessarily includes the following components:
- an electric pump for pumping water from a source and creating initial pressure;
- a non-return valve mounted on the pipeline and preventing the outflow of water from the tank through the pump when the latter is turned off;
- a five-way fitting with a connected pressure gauge and pressure switch;
- accumulator;
- a home pipe wiring system with taps and other valves (for example, solenoid valves for washing machines).
It is in this order that the pump station is going. The principle of operation is no less simple. To carry out its setup and subsequent maintenance, it is not at all necessary to resort to the help of service centers - it is enough just to study the main points.
How to pump water?
The pumping station can be factory-made, when all its elements are mounted as part of an integral device, as well as assembled manually - with a spaced layout.
Usually the first ones stand in the windows of the respective stores. The tank capacity in them rarely exceeds 50 liters (as a rule, everything is limited to 25 liters). Water can be pulled, creating a vacuum in the pipe (hence the restriction on the height of the lift), or it can be pushed up. The assembled factory pumping stations are designed to solve the first problem: you just need to install the device near the well, stretch a hose or pipe to the liquid and provide further wiring with power.
The second option is more technologically advanced, in which a special submersible pump is flooded in the water column. It is airtight and can work in such conditions for years (with the exception of vibration). A line is drawn from it to the other components that are installed on the surface. Such a pump pushes water up the pipe, which is more efficient and makes it possible to overcome the depth limit.
Pressure vessel
No less interesting is the principle of operation of the pump accumulator pump accumulator . This is one of the key elements of the system. It is characterized by the volume, material of the inner "pear", the installation method and the quality of manufacture.
Inside the metal "barrel" is a container of rubber that resembles a pear in shape (although there are slightly different designs). It is in it that the pump pumps water. Between their walls is an air gap with overpressure (from 1 to 1.5 bar).
When filling a "pear" it increases in volume. The air is compressed and begins to exert pressure on the walls. It is thanks to him that pressure is created. As the water supply is used up, the pear shrinks and the pressure drops. The specified capacity of the accumulator only indirectly allows you to evaluate the working capacity. For example, depending on the setting, a 100 liter “barrel” allows you to store up to 50 liters of water.
Managing the system
The pump station operates in a fully automatic mode. A person is required to correctly mount all the elements, perform the initial setup and bring the power supply. Further, if adjustment is necessary, it is only necessary to check the presence of a sufficient amount of air in the tank and the correctness of the set limits of the pressure switch.
Overcoming obstacles
The pump used in classical stations can lift liquid from a depth of not more than 8 m (theoretical limit of 9 - 10 m). That is, if the distance to the water mirror is greater, you will either have to mount the system in a special pit well, going deeper into the ground, or use a different type of pump. An alternative can be an ejector pump station. The principle of its operation differs from the classical one, which allows overcoming the restriction on the depth of rise and pumping water from almost 45 m. In addition, the distance to the source can be up to 40 m. In such installations, a special device is used - an ejector, which is physically placed at the inlet of the intake pipe . In simpler models, an additional pipe is drawn to it from the main system located on the surface, through which water flows. Before starting it is filled in manually (although there are exceptions), and when it comes from the main line. Single pipe solutions are also possible, but this is only an external difference. Installation of ejector pumping stations requires the installation of additional check valves and refinement of the piping. The main disadvantage is the high cost.